The Things We Don't Say
by iBloo
Summary: Kawaki is a stranger to love, and he certainly doesn't know how to express and say what he's feeling on a regular day. It gets much worse when he meets Sarada, and struggles internally as to why he's feeling this way for her. This is a compilation of one-shots for KawaSara.


Title: The Last Time  
Rating: T+  
Genre: angst / romance  
Beta-read by: anastasiapancake (on tumblr)

For this fic, assume "you" are Sarada. I tried out a different perspective and writing style again. I'm really loving it. So much fun to write. ^^

A/N: I was catching feels at 2am on a Friday night because of two fictional characters.

* * *

You don't even remember…

When was the last time you hung out with your friends?

When was the last time you went to a party?

The last time you smelled cigarette smoke.

You blink and turn your head towards the other side of the room. For a moment, you think you imagined it, but it was unmistakable. It smells so familiar, and you feel drawn to it. Funny that you find yourself seeking out the scent, you never liked the smell of cigarettes, but you got used to it for reasons you would rather not admit to yourself.

Your feet start to move on their own, and your hands gently push the people away until you find yourself in front of a glass sliding door. It's slightly open, and when your gaze trails up, you see him.

Kawaki is casually leaning on the balcony's railing, a cigarette in hand. You notice that he is watching you. There are so many questions that run through your mind. _Why is he here? He doesn't even like parties. And yet… he is._ You bite your lip and slide the door open, stepping into the balcony before closing it behind you. Slowly, you walk towards him and you stop. Just as you do, he blows smoke out away from your direction.

Seeing him again after months makes your belly flip and your mouth go dry. It's hard to swallow, but you try to do it anyway. The memories you had with him start to come back to you in waves. Perhaps you shouldn't be here. Maybe, you think, you should leave. But you don't.

He doesn't take another drag. Instead, the cigarette sits quietly between his fingers. It's lowered, and you can barely smell it anymore. He is still looking at you, not saying a word.

The memories stop, and it's now being replaced with frustration. He still doesn't speak-this is what frustrates you the most. Even when you were just friends, you already knew that he didn't say much, but it didn't mean that he didn't care. When you two got together, he spoke a little more, but it was never enough to your liking. And you thought that was fine, that's just how he is. Kind of like how your Papa also didn't say much.

You think you would have been used to it, but when the doubt comes creeping up, and your friends are all too eager to feed it, Kawaki never saying anything to reassure you that you thought wrong would make you cry in anger and frustration.

_Chocho would huff and challenge her, "Name me one time he told you he loved you, Sarada." _

You can't.

"_He just doesn't know how to say it," you defended. "Kawaki isn't like that." _

"_He's not mute, of course, he can say it! Fine then, tell me one time he showed you he really loves you, other than sex." _

You couldn't answer that before. But now that you think about it…

He loves you. You know he does. The way he looks at you and makes sure that you have enough space on the couch, or enough food on your plate. The way he would return the alcohol and cigarettes back on the shelf while you two shopped for groceries so you could buy more of your favorite chocolate and make your budget fit for the week.

"All my friends tell me I should move on…" Finally, you find your voice, but it's still hard to speak. You want to look away, but his dark gaze on yours is too magnetic to break. Even after months of not seeing him and dating other boys to forget, "But no one compares to you."

Kawaki lowers his gaze, and you do, too. He drops the cigarette on the floor and steps on it. He closes the gap between the two of you. You feel your heart race, and your cheeks heat up.

_He threw his cigarette away…_ the realization strikes you like lightning. _When was the last time you saw him smoke? When was the last time he ever smoked around you? _

Definitely not when you left.

Not when you last made dinner at his apartment.

Not in the past month.

You can't even remember.

"Wh-why did you throw it away?" You dare to look up at him as he towers over you. The smell of cigarettes mixed with his own takes you back, and yet.

His eyes soften by the tiniest bit and finally, he responds, "Because you're back."

* * *

A/N: This will be a compilation of KawaSara one-shots made by me. :)

I hope you liked this one, and please do let me know what you think!


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